Meet 106, Adv 7, 12/14/19

We had a truncated group at the table for the last meeting of the year so we ran a shorter "quest" than I had expected to do - but the principle members were all the same. Granmund is a name that will come up again and again on a going forward.

And he's tied in some way to the Ravenstone the party has in their possession.

Plus I got to use the moathouse from T1 again :)

Write up follows:

With the two new members in the party and still no word from the rest of the group working up north, the other half of the group weathered the first major snowstorm and made some serious headway on the house at this time. But there was the constant need to be aware of any issue coming up and eventually through conversation with the GRSAG and themselves, the group wanted to go and visit the middle ring of Erylond and pay some homage to the Grim Gauntlets and the church of Sif.

Connal, Dizzy, and Asher collectively want to make the visit so they took the time to pass through the northgate and see the higher elevated and more glorious center ring of Erylond. The streets were covered in snow but the guild halls through here were grand edifices covering huge areas. Cathedrals abounded and there were considerably more guards patrolling the area. We asked our way around and learned the Grim Gauntlets were on the east side of town.

Eventually making our way there we went to the temple to pray at first before being approached by a Novice who talked with us at length. After learning who we were, two touched priests and a monastic, he elevated us to the Prior Callius and then eventually we were taken to the Abbess Cala of Sif.

A middle aged woman of hidden strength she looked upon our presence here as a sign of providence and proof that the Norns are still at work.

Their Sacristsanct had been stolen from, a tube about 2’ long, brass, sealed, supposedly holds the dying words and breath a great prophet. And although a tube was still in the Sacristsanct, it was not exactly the same – a copy swapped out. There were some adherents, postulants who had been in the area and caught in the act BEFORE the copy was noted and the thought was these two had the tube and swapped it out – selling it to someone.

Wanted the tube returned, the thieves branded as apostates, and then killed. The adventuring guild was a place to go but the Temple has no idea on how to go about this, and the divining they had done let them know that they were holding up some 6 hours outside of town, west, at a riverside keep and would most likely be moving on soon.

And here we are, 3 adventurers, followers of Sif and Tyr, and touched priests to boot. So we 3 took the job and promised to leave immediately, taking a copy of the rough map and what to look for on the way.

There were a series of low keeps that lines the Enderlyn River, long ago outposts the Randari used to patrol the area and keep the barbaric tribes across the waterways in place. Since the fall of the Ympir, the keeps were abandoned one at a time and eventually have been used a way points for weary travelers out in the elements, or reclaimed by the water boggy ground.

There Trade Road ran west, northwest as we counted off the hours. There was a rough trail off the highway that ran along the river which was burbling along as it wound its way downstream. Some 600 yards separated the highway from the River and it was an ever choked bog of tangled vines and semi-stagnant pools. We could see the keep in question and even at this distance, there was a line of tramped snow from the drawbridge to the solid ground where someone(s) had walked up and down the river bank again and again and often over the last day.

Most likely our place.

There might have been some sign of life within and we proceeded with care, stepping off the highway and trailblazing our way through the tall snow to the keep. The croaking of frogs was constant, but it was deep and guttural, and Dizzy was unsure as its cold, snow on the ground, and frogs? Ice frogs? Um..do we want to risk it?

There were signs that someone had been back and forth across the 15’ long drawbridge a number of times, and some of them were hoof prints. So we made the decision to approach, and then summon a creature to charge the water and draw the frogs if any. The call went out and a gnoll appeared where it ran to the water…and a 10’ tall ice pale green/blue frog came out of the water, croaked once, and shot a tongue at it.

Followed by another and then 4 smaller frogs!

We ran across while the summoned creature engaged the amphibians for a bit, coming to the open gates of the keep and looked around the courtyard. Parts of a chopped up dead horse were here, tower immediately to the left, and the main home of the keep to the north and east. A few windows were there but open. Stairs led up and we could see some lights within. Lots of loose prints in the snow of people coming in and out of the keep and the area here.

We scouted a bit, Dizzy giving the all clear, and we climbed up the steps to the main foyer of the keep. Two main halls ran south and west, some older torches, a few doors, and a closed room to the northeast where we could hear voices talking. Alright.

Checked out the two passages first, no guards, some doors closed, nothing else of interest. So it was the main door. We wanted to be on the ready for them and either go in or have them come out to us – fighting in the door was not the way to go.

But at least 5 voices could be heard with the leader being Rerid and the next most spoken to person being Hrabbi. They were upset, their contact was late and the group wanted to get paid and gone from the area now. Rerid was adamant they needed to give “the wizard” one more day and then good or bad, they leave and make their way eventually to Sorton and then Thak.

The group was getting into place around the door, Dizzy was going to open it, when something made Connal turn around just in time to be leapt upon by an almost 175# wolf! It savaged the monk, ripping and tearing at him while the group was surprised. And then when they were in place, Connal turned with the wolf, back against the wall and began hammering at it as it continued to savage the monastic.

The voices inside grew excited and calls went out to “help my wolf!” and “They’ve found us!” It was weapons out and ready when the door opened and EIGHT young men between 17 and 25 came out with clubs and swords and cold weather clothes and padded armor and one of them had a damned crossbow!

We were beset almost immediately and the battle hit the three party members hard. Dizzy took two painful wounds, the wolf continued to assault Connal, others came about hitting Asher and the other two. We tried to group together but were quickly being overwhelmed. Swords swung, fists flew, and at the end of it, Asher called to Tyr and pointed and Rerid where he shouted, “In the name of Tyr, Hold!!”

And the thief leader froze in place. Along with the other wounds we had done, the poor state of the wolf, and the poor morale of the thieves, the second in command, Hrabbi, ordered the men to drop their weapons and “this has gotten WAY out of hand!”

We helped divest them of weapons, some healing was doled out, and we talked while Rerid was bound in place while held. They had been contacted months earlier by a wizard named Granmund who was looking for religious artifacts that have anything to do with the dead. He approached the pair (Rerid and Hrabbi) and arranged to give them a copy of the tube in question. He was supposed to meet them via boat this last day but hasn’t arrived.

The party had been charged in killing the thieves but Dizzy took a different stance and told them that they fought well and with skill, and Sif will judge them elsewhere, but they were to be spared and head west and away from Erylond, for if they do come back, the Church of Sif will exact a vengeance upon them then.

Hrabbi took the deal and the party was a bit bummed there was no profit for this, but they all agreed to head west and away. Handshakes were given and we tossed a “horse chunk” at the frogs who fought over it while we ran across the drawbridge and back to the Highway. Rerid, no longer held, was bent, but agreed this was for the best.

As for Granmund, they wanted to be long gone before the wizard showed up as he would not be pleased he did not get his tube and wasted time and money on this venture. Granmund is working out of one of the Stolen Kingdoms called Shadowthyrst and we thanked them and waited for them to leave before turning back around and heading back.

We arrived at the temple late at night where the Abbess met with s and was happy to get the piece back. We discussed how it happened and what we had learned. Someone had to have seen the tube for some time to make a copy of it, but it hadn’t been out of the Sacristsanct for years. Scrying? Possible. As for Shadowthyrst, its run by a sad Halfling figure and the entire land is one of misery and sadness, those who stay too long or have a weak will, often times just lie down and wait to die.

Lovely.

The Abbess offered the three of the party members a reduced rate on training in the future and a small reward for their efforts and we left feeling good with how it all played out so far.

Except…Why Granmund’s interest and how will this end up affecting us in the future?

History - Reetersbeard

The Third major clan of dwarves in this area is the Reetersbeard dwarves and a few of the party members have either ancestry or dealing with them. So their history, as known follows:

There is no single defined dwarven homeland, they have been around as far back as the gods have been, building the worlds and universes as required by Reorx, Moradin, Vulcan, Dunatis, or any of the other gods needed. By dint, although dwarves are clannish in nature they are not overtly so and don't assume that their clan or holdfast is the end all/be all.

The Reetersbeard Dwarves story is the tale of a homestead of dwarves who made the decision to move their entire civilization. Twice.

According to what few relics and tablets remain, the Reetersbeard dwarves were part of a larger collective called the Morati. Some 6 or so ages ago (again - VERY long time - almost 2,000 years) the collective split into two main family camps - The Giant Born (Jarlborrin) and the Right Beard (Reetersbeard). The Right Beard camp was growing ill with the constant barbaric attacks by roving tribes of orcs and humans, not wanting to be a part of the assault and "culling" of these surface dwelling raiders and pests - while the Giant Born camp was convinced that it was a noble effort to cull the barbaric tribes before they got too large and caused either starvation or warfare between them.

So 30,000 dwarves and their attendant gnomes, humans, and other followers dismantled their homes, forges, anvils, halls, and other items of value and decided to head east through the great forests and find the end of the world.

They came upon the Mastelic Ocean after many months of travel and then continued their travels south. For the better part of a year the dwarven nation made their way south until they came upon an area with many large hills and small mountains, as well as a single oversized defined peak that was so tall, it pierced the sky. The land was home to a number of elves who had not participated in the Kinslayer Wars and had no trouble or problems with the dwarven nation.

The Reetersbeard Dwarves settled the area and dug mines and homes into the earth. And things were well for a very long time. They multiplied, moved, and spread their teachings and children further south to the human lands and kingdoms in that direction. Eventually the human kingdoms expanded northward and in honor of the friendly dwarves they encountered there, offered them a space in the council of Lords and eventually folded them into the Kingdom of Daro - the High Thane also given the title of Duke and the land was referred to as the Duchy of Reet.

For the better part of 1500 years the Reetersbeard Dwarves lived and had their homes, their nation swelling to 45,000 dwarves and countless other friendly races. They had their lives here until their seers and rangers came back with disturbing news. The lands to the west were wild with many roving tribes of monstrous humanoids - that wasn't an issue. What was the issue was that the lands WEST of that were a blasted wasteland with little life still there - and the darkness was going to spread east.

The darkness of dragons.

The largest clutching of dragons had lived and grown unchecked for centuries and were approaching the stage when they would fight amongst themselves for dominance - sending the weaker dragons to go off and find new territory.

And the only territory was to the east and eventually the Duchy of Reet. Every skein, every runecasting, every divination the dwarves made said this was going to happen. Not now, not next year, maybe not even next decade - but it was going to happen and when hundreds and hundreds and maybe thousands of dragons take wing and spread - nothing on this earth was going to be able to withstand it.

The dwarves thought about it long and for 15 years sent runners and rangers as far as they could to confirm this - and it was going to be the case. Between the land of the dragons and Reet were the Homelands-  where ogres and bugbears and kobolds and other monsters held sway - hundreds of thousands of them - maybe even millions. When the dragons came - they would drive this horde before them and they would hit here first - and then the dragons would follow.

They Referred to this as the Odinstorm, the Murder of Ravens, The Flight. They tried to share this information with the human kingdoms to the south who were embroiled in civil war and didn't listen. They tried to share it with the surface dwelling elves and humans and halflings and whatnot who made up the Duchy of Reet and it was taken seriously. But not everyone wanted to leave - would it be this year, next, the following? A decade or two?

Where would they go??? Many dwarves thought they could stay here, pull the entrances to their mountains closed behind them, and weather the Odinstorm as long as possible - the thought of moving was just not in their bones.

Of those that agreed to leave, some 20,000 a bit less than half, the Reetersbeard clan decided they would again split into two - half would return back to the north and the Jarlborrin Lands, the rest would travel south as far as they could and try to find another place to settle down and live.

So almost 180 years ago almost 10,000 dwarves and another 12,000 other races once again performed their mass migration and traveled the ancient markings and maps north along the Mastelic Ocean and then eventually west - taking almost 2 years to make the journey.

But when they came "home" after some 1,500 years - things were different. The gnomes had a homeland to the east now called Nightwoods, the Jarlborrin had grown and expanded taking over many mountains to the west with the capital of their Thanedom being called Sorton, a group of Mountain Dwarves had emerged from their caves called Gorok - but the majority of the land was dominated by a sprawling orcish empire called Rand.

They were welcomed but the Randari Ympyr didn't want them en masse in their cities and asked the clan to break up (they didn't). The Nightwoods took some of the surface halflings, gnomes and elves and even a few dwarves who wanted to stay. The Gorokian Dwarves were rude and insulting to the wandering Reetersbeard and the Jarlborrin were uncomfortable with their return.

What was decided was that the Jarlborrin would "give up" one of their eastern (and poor) holdings called Ironcamp (which incidentally was one of the original holdings of the Reetersbeard dwarves) which they could "pay" for with 75% of the production of the land and the dwarves (and other races) living there being given to the Jarlborrin as lease and payments - with the land being deeded over to the Reetersbeard Dwarves at that time - it would be theirs free and clear.

The Reetersbeard dwarves thought about it and the concensus was they did not want to travel any further - this was their ancestral home. They took the deal.

And they worked hard for it. 3 coins of every 4 made went to the Jarlborrin's coffers. 3 sledges of marble or every 4 went west to Sorton. 3 gems of every 4 mined from the ground, 3 timbers of every 4 felled from the forests, 3 bags of grain of every 4 tilled from the earth went east to Jarlborrin while the Reetersbeard Dwarves subsisted on what remained. They bartered and traded and begged and scavenged from Tilani to Erylond for any job, any food, and resource they could help to extend their comfort and livelihood another year and get closer to fulfilling their lease without defaulting on it and losing their right to eventually live free again.

When the call to war came and the tribes of dwarves and gnomes struck out against the Randari Ympyr - the Reetersbeard Dwarves did not get involved - they were under no compunction to go to war and could not be enticed to do so by any means - instead they hunkered down and waited until it ended and then went back to paying off their debt.

Finally, almost 80 years ago - the last of the payments had been made the the Reeterbeard dwarves were free.

And they turned their industry and efforts to what they had been doing best for the last 3/4 of a century - acting as the middleman and merchant for the many dissimilar groups, cities, towns, clans, holdfasts, keeps, and despots that littered the now shattered Randari lands. They turned their minds to the best way to generate income and spawned huge caravans that traveled the busted roads and highways - sending hundreds of road repair crews ahead of the caravans to make sure the passage with safe and in good shape. Three times a year the great caravans made their way around the traderoads -the trip taking 75 to 80 days each cycle - and each cycle they pick up goods in one place and deliver them to another to be sold and take a small piece of the profits - which goes back to Ironcamp and helps improve the lives of the Reetersbeard dwarves and those who have stuck with them even in time of adversity.

Meet 105, Adv 6, 12/7/19

This was an interim meeting where the group had a chance to talk to and hire the 2 new guy's "B" character, and also meet with the Blue Boar - who will be a part of the mid part of the game - hunting for the Ravenstone around Barb's neck.

Write up follows:

The few party members still at the Council of Lords had the opportunity to see Lord Durcent go up to Baron Skuddrid and vent his intense displeasure over the verdict. Punishments? Fines? What about Sedition, and Murder and everything else? How the hell can you all three on the Council sit there and just LET him get away with it?!?

The Baron informed Lord Durcent that he has been a part of 35 of these Councils over his 60 plus years, sometimes as a junior member, lately as the head arbiter. And they are fraught with issues that plague everyone. We live in a feudal system – the line of support runs up and down the chain from Duke down to knight and eventually to serf and peasant. Each level taking from the level both above and below it – and offering support in each direction. Stratifying? Yes. But vital in order to maintain order and goodwill to all personages.

At any time evil forces are looking to disrupt any level of the system and everyone needs to work together to keep the fabric as a whole. And when you are Baron, you see so many more threads and buttresses and lines than the levels below – and it’s precarious because if any one part of society realizes that they can be supplanted – the system will break down.

So stripping a Lord of his name and titles needs to be done only at the UTMOST and 100% without a doubt reason where everyone can look at the crimes and nod their head in unison and say, Yes, THAT is a bad man and deserves to be taken apart and thrown down.

And the case against Lord Ostlerson is NOT that. Yes, it’s complete in its own fashion, and yes he did try to appoint his son as Sheriff, but his issues and plotting and crimes both minor and major do not rise to the level of removal of position. If other Lords, Knights, or gentry came to the realization that they can be punished accordingly for their 60% petty crimes and schemes – the system would quickly collapse. And Baron Skuddrid cannot let that happen – since the case was only somewhat compelling against Gregor.

BUT, his son is no longer possible to become Lord, and he is losing profit and freedom, there are investigators on his Demesne looking to his actions and activities looking to find and expose his lies. Lord Durcent will still have to work with Lord Ostlerson, but the other Lord will now be on an uneven footing and will be much more guarded in his dealings on a going forward.

While still in Stivil, Shim did go back and visit the Falser Confectionary where he had the chance to sit with Malted and Uke. They took him to their apartment where Shimlagesh had the opportunity to eat with them and some 20 other gnomes, hear from them their stories on escaping the Nightwoods, see how they live and are treated, and then went on a tour of the factory floor where he saw gnomes making a life for themselves and trying to find a place for themselves when their servitude is up after giving the Falser’s 15 years.

Upon completion they will have a marketable skill, journeyman papers on their trade, and the opportunity to stay on if need be. They were all happy, healthy, in good spirits, and although taken care of, also had their own funds for discretionary purchases if need be.

Not slaves. Not a part of the Theocracy. And being treated well and with dignity. Shim also learned that the Falsers felt that the contract work they had been doing on behalf of Rargitild of the Green Hills with the “boorish human” was about done. He is a blowhard, in some sort of trouble, and truthfully, although humans attacking other humans for a profit is funny to watch, the Falsers want nothing more to do with the tall folk and their stupid short sighted games in order to garner a profit.

Shim left feeling real good and the party proceeded back to the Durcent Province where Darius and Shim had many long discussions about Shim’s feelings regarding the Falsers. They are murderers – and that’s it. And Shim had a different feeling on it, and IT was a long round and round discussion on the matter that had the two of them feeling a strain in their normally bucolic friendship.

At the Durcent Province we did gather a reward from Lord Durcent for our efforts, a pile of the bark to return to Celeste Firesworn, and considerable foodstuffs as further appreciation for what we’ve done.

We then traveled back to Erylond where we arrived at long last on the evening of the 20th of Deathmonth. We took our sleighs and horses to the Mage’s District where we fulfilled the final part of our contract and were paid a bag of silver for doing our part. The party was going to head back to home at long last…

However, during the 3 plus weeks since we’ve been gone, the OTHER half of the group had many meetings with Pha-iyr Carom where after a week of waiting on the group’s return, decided to hold interviews on potential people to join our party. We know we needed some sort of front line fighting and possibly a cleric of some sort. Pha-iyr had 7 interviews for us and we met them the next day at the Adventuring Guild.

They were a mixed bunch. From the key handing lover dwarven bard named Flint, to the paladin who was so off putting about his skills or lack thereof that he effectively wrote himself out of consideration. There were a pair of monastic brothers, each one larger than the other, followers of Sif who although were enticing, didn’t have the skills the party needed at this time.

There was a Fighter Priest who certainly fit the bill although his experience was a bit lacking, and a half-orcish Druid to Idun that we felt would be a good mix to our party. But there was a knight with a squire, human, tall, that seemed to be above the party’s capability and skills. He was returning to the fold of adventuring after retiring a few years ago and doing bounty work finding criminals to bring in to justice.

Ozure Parson, he was a possibility but the group assumed he would be a no since we were not at his skill level but he thanked us for the interview and confided that he was following some visions he had of coming in and interviewing here. His latest bounty was going to take years to resolve and he was following the skein of the Norns at this time, going where he felt led.

When he got up he and his man unfurled their surcoats and we could see his personal sigil of a blue boar on his field of off white. He joked saying he had the nickname of the Blue Boar, Ozure Parson…Azure Porcine…that he took no offense to and was happy to known as.

And although this half of the group, the name Blue Boar meant nothing…the other half of the group currently out adventuring KNOWS that the Blue Boar is the name of the “being released” to hunt down Barb as warned to her in the seamstress’s shop  in a possessed vision regarding the Ravenstone.

Meet 104, Adv 6, 11/23/19

The party had the chance to try Lord Gregor Ostlerson in a Council of Lords - with half the group playing themselves, and the other half LARPing the officiating Lords. So half the group had to PROVE to the other half of the group about Big GO/Lord Gregor Ostlerson's crimes. Lord Gregor was able to defend himself and more importantly, bring doubt to the proceedings.

It was very satisfying but at the same time aggravating because although they knew he was dirty, they couldn't convict him on all 4 counts.

And they have established a nobleman who hates them and his darkly charismatic son as life long enemies.

Write up follows:

The two groups made their way east and southeast through the cold snow, the horses and sleighs turning the trip from a horrible slog to something decent. The two groups talked at length about what they had learned, Thalin and Shim at opposite ends of the spectrum regarding the Falsers. Shim had felt better but had the fear that the Falser Brothers were still acting in the Theocrat’s interests and enslaving gnomes outside of Nightwoods. If ever we got a chance to return to Stivil, he’d like the opportunity to look further throughout their factory.

The crux of it was the Falser’s were still criminals and murders – and to Shim they were and they were not. It was a tense conversation and the miles passed by slowly and over some time.

Darius, Barb, Thon, and Eoghan arrived at Durcent Province first. It had to be about 2 in the morning or so and there was no one around to talk with. After a brief conversation with the guards at the Demesne the group went off to stay at the Woodward (acting) Nagaf at the north end of the Province.

We went off and after some tense back and forth with Nagaf and Fain, the former wards of the original Woodward, we managed to arrange a place to stay (Fain was concerned we were here for sex, deviant or not, as the former Woodward often had late visitors come by) while Darius went back to the trail IN to the Province to await for Rhygar and the other sleigh which arrived some 40 minutes later.

We all slept well and the next late morning awoke, ate, and then made our way to the Manorhouse and Lord Durcent. From there we spent some time filling the Lord, Sheriff Thurbarn, and the Ranger’s assistant Sundar Longwalker of everything we had been a part off since we arrive almost 3 weeks earlier, the Wolf Skull Orcs, the raids, the hunt for the killer, Ixitch Barrowman and Canaslan, our problems there, the Bloodtusk tribe, the woodcutter’s cottage, Big GO, Thon, Stivil, the Falser’s, and eventually all the paperwork and books and disjointed pieces of evidence we had acquired which shows a long and winding trail leading everything back to Lord Gregor Ostlerson as the perpetrator behind everything.

Lord Durcent was stunned. As a fellow lord, he had to elevate this to the next step and that meant sending it off for a Council of Lords tribunal, where the case was being forwarded to Baron Skuddrid of Stivil, an older lord and statesmen, who had presided over 30 of these cases already.

The Baron agreed to the case and would convene the Council on the 16th of Deathmonth where all the parties would be able to come and present their case. So we laid low and then on the 15th, made our way back to Stivil where we found ourselves at the hospitality of the Baron himself. The Council was also going to be judged by Lord Dunthar Rockholm, a dwarven lord whose family has been part of the rebuild of Stivil since the Randari war over a century earlier, and Sir Agor Randari, an orcish lord who was folded into the nobility some time ago, his clan given the original lands they had owned long ago as their own Demesne.

Lord Gregor Ostlerson was here as well, along with his son Fersic Gregson, the applicant Sheriff. Tensions were high and tempers were strained, especially once the Council of Lords began and Gregor discovered that HE was the subject in question! A number of charges had been leveled against him and the Council’s job was to discover if his crimes were elevated to the state of no contest. If so, he could be stripped of land and titles.

Lord Durcent had three of the party members come forward and detail the crimes and the path lead: Barb, Darius, and Thon – as each of them had a specific point of direct knowledge of how the crimes were laid out.

Throughout the trial, Lord Ostlerson rebutted as need be, offered alternative points of views, and did succeed on many occasions to muddy the waters and cast doubt on the proceedings – even though the party knew what they were presenting was the truth.

It took many hours and Fersic was most upset with Thon who he had assumed was a friend. And Darius and the younger Sheriff applicant had little lost love for each other. Baron Skuddrid kept the trial moving along and with many prompts had the story come out. However, upon the end of all things, even though there were 4 charges leveled against the Lord, only one of them was found to be guilty enough to merit disciplinary action.

As punishment, Lord Gregor Ostlerson was responsible for 5% of the Net Profits of the Demesne to be paid to the Baron for 10 seasons and Fersic Gregson was to be stripped of hereditary titles for taking over the Demesne. That was it. And since Lord Gregor has not acknowledged any of his bastards and only had the one son from his 2nd wife, it meant that as of this moment, upon Lord Gregor’s death, the land would revert to Baron Skuddrid and the Baron could assign the 120 acre Demesne to another Lord as he sees fit.

The group was…disappointed at best. Lord Gregor effectively gets away with his crime and that was it. There was a bright point; Baron Skuddrid was dispatching an investigative team of 12 members to go over the Demesne to find signs of the drug manufacturing on the property. If that was to be found, there would be further punishment and fines levied at the benighted Lord.